(Part 2) Best products from r/Weddingsunder10k

The best answer is always finding someone who knows a LITTLE about what they're doing. Shaky video with bad sound is SO cringey to sit through - so give quality some thought.

As for what to use for cameras... Low light is your enemy. If your wedding and reception are outside, before sundown, cheap camcorders will work great... but if you'll be getting into darker spots, they're going to look terrible quickly.

Honestly modern cell phones spend a LOT of research dollars figuring out how to get the best video quality even in the hands of inexperienced users. If you're NOT going to have someone experienced using pro level gear, I think cell phones will do better than anything you buy for less than $500 on Amazon. You can google and find some examples of wedding videos shot on iphones that look positively amazing (Though, full disclosure, those amazing videos are usually shot by a pro who knows exactly how to get amazing footage from them. There's still a lot that can be improved with knowledge and experience, of course.)

If you want to get super smooth footage, you can get gimbals that will hold a phone perfectly steady, for not a lot of money.

So that's my recommendation - buy something like this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BHCC3BV and put the best phone you can on it. Have someone practice for several hours with it to learn how to use it to the best of their ability (watch some youtube videos) and put them in the center aisle, around the third row! That's maximizing your chances of success!

All of that said - before you go that route - ASK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER. All the time I'm shooting photos for someone that wants video, but can't afford it. If they think to ask me, I'll bring an extra professional camera and a really good microphone and I'll set that up in the back of the room for them. It's no replacement for a proper video filmed by an experienced videographer, but it does provide a good solid recording that they can rewatch... and I do that for free. Your photographer may be able to set their 'backup camera' on a tripod and hit record without charging you much for the small amount of effort! There's less security in that, and that's what I always tell people when I do it - "I'm not going to be standing there babysitting it unless you want to pay to have a videographer for that... so if your uncle bumps the off button... or someone knocks it to point at the wall... or stands in front of it... we won't get anything... but if you're okay with that risk and aren't holding me accountable for a service you're not paying for, I'm happy to do it for you.

So - apologies for the length on this. My wedding is in December, about 150 people, with 7 bridesmaids and groomsmen.

I couldn't capture how truly wonderful these came out. One of my bridesmaids got started on the smaller bouquets and then did my big waterfall bouquet. My fiance helped with the corsages and boutonnieres. The grand total for everything - welcome sign, flowers, centerpieces, all came in under $450 and I'm super proud of finishing it up. I'll try to detail what I can and post links to places where I got flowers if someone asks!

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Bridal Bouquet

https://imgur.com/Oe1uzUJ

I cannot take any credit for this - one of my bridesmaids had the vision and rolled with it. We bought peonies ($36), eucalyptus ($40), calla lillies ($40), and roses ($60) on Amazon. The last little bit of wispy flower at the bottom was a last minute buy at Michael's using a 50% coupon for $2.50. The roses are incredibly realistic and the full stems helped fill out the holders.

A florist would have certainly charged more than $400 just for something this size with the peonies. Similarly sized arrangements on Etsy were about $300-$350. And the flowers I bought for this leftover made all of the bridesmaid bouquets and misc arrangements!

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Bridesmaids Bouquets

Detail: https://imgur.com/W74qjS0

Pre-Wrap: https://imgur.com/ofnivV4

Same flowers as the bridal bouquet! We also used a lot of floral tape ($3, coupon), ribbon ($5, after Christmas sale), and floral wire from the stems of roses that I used on the centerpieces.

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Corsages and Boutonnieres

https://imgur.com/15aTilR

These were so easy! I took leaves from the rose a peony bundles, then ordered some extra baby's breath ($13, Amazon). Wrapped with floral tape and some ribbon I got on a 50% sale at Hobby Lobby. My fiance did most of the boutonnieres and he was pretty proud of himself.

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Welcome Sign

https://imgur.com/QF7I3lr

Got the mirror at a garage sale ($5, what a steal), had Mod Podge and glitter from the centerpieces. Exploring options of getting a friend with nice handwriting to write the welcome message, or buy a decal off of Etsy (<$25). My cat was needy today and wanted to be in every picture :)

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Centerpieces

Top w/ Table Number: https://imgur.com/NpheC3j

Low Light: https://imgur.com/4MmfiIE

Detail: https://imgur.com/HygEhD7

This has a lot of details. I first bought the cheap 1-20 wood table numbers on Amazon ($20, I think), the Mod Podge ($8), Fine Glitter ($10, Michael's), and mod podged the crap out of the numbers and layered on the glitter. This took several hours between drying and doing.

We then stumbled upon a $40 deal on Facebook marketplace that included 20 8" vases, 200 Dinopure White Roses, 25 purple fairy lights, various glass stones and beads, and an LED candle set.

I built on this by buying 100 more roses ($40, Amazon), 24x 3" styrofoam balls ($30, Amazon), 2 packs water beads ($15, Amazon), and two colors of the vase mix of floating pearls (Etsy, $40).

I hot glues the roses to the styrofoam balls with enough room for it to still fit on top of the vase. I then wrapped the fairy lights around that, and hot glued the table number to the top.

The water beads and floating pearls are an easy set up. Let the beads swell for a couple hours, pour in the vase and in layers add the beads and stir. Topping off with water gives the floating effect.

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This was all enough to make ~18 centerpieces, 1 bridal bouquet, 7 bridesmaids bouquets, 12 boutonnieres, 5 corsages, 1 welcome sign, and we're using leftover flowers, vases, plus running medals (my and my fiance's hobby) to round out the decorations. I already have frames ($35, Micheals on 75% off plus extra 20% off super sale) and shimmer paper that I will DIY print any other signs needed.

I was originally going to be lazy and buy them pre dyed and already made from another seller. But when I got the sample color flowers I ordered. I realized I would rather have more control in the colors. What one person considers wine another says burgundy. So I looked up dying them on YouTube. And doing the stems.

I bought these stems

BCP Dark Green 50PCS 22 Guage 30CM / 11.75INCH Length Iron Wire , Artificial Flower Stems Making Accessory , Floral Arrangement Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXY7S5A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_zRbzD9nYZPWr5

And later bought a thinner more pliable kind from hobby lobby/Michaels.

And a hot glue gun

AdTech Lo-Temp Mini Hot Glue Gun COMBO PACK | Low Temp Compact Tool for Crafting, School Projects and DIY | Comes with 10 Multi-Temp Glue Sticks | Ite https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLS2WPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_XyMg2Y1csNDJn

And this to make holes in the base of the flower so the stems attach more securely.

Modeling Sculpture Needle Point Clay Detail Tools Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F55LOW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_sj8KyzIAUbZXY

So I stuck the pin in the base. Widened the hole because sola (balsa wood) is a super crafty wood to work with. It's like a firm foam. It's perfect. I've used it for crafts when I was a kid. Then put a dollup of hot glue on the hole and stuck the stem in. Voila!

Then after that was done. I got around to dyeing them. I found the colors I wanted (just regular acrylic paint). Mixed about a quarter of the bottle into a little Tupperware bowl. Stirred it up. (I used warm water but eventually it cools and didn't make a difference). Then dipped the flowers in one by one. Dip. Swirl. Only for like 3-5 seconds depending on the flower. Some have thicker petals than others. I also got smart later on and grabbed and eye shadow brush

http://www.urbandecay.co.uk/en_GB/eyes/eye-brushes/pro-brushes/UD744.html

(Not that exact one but the same style)

Dipped that in the paint and got in between some of the petals where I couldn't seem to get paint. Then just left them upside down on a paper towel to dry.

In hind sight. I should've only dipped my pink ones once. But at the time. They looked too light. So I dipped them again. And they're pink. Which is what I wanted. But of course I want the prior pink. lol. It's pretty cool though because you can change the intensity of the colors.

They come originally in a very pretty cream color. And you can keep them that color or dye them. They're very cheap and easy to work with. I spent $120 on flowers and supplies. And that's 150 flowers. Considering what fresh or even fabric one would run me. I can buy more and get the pink color again if I want. But laziness might win out :)

https://instagram.com/p/BXzILVTAn2B/

https://instagram.com/p/BXzIV2ggVUj/

Not sure if that'll let you see all the flowers. Pre dyed and after. And the lighter pink is what I want. But the bubble gum pink might be here to stay. I doubt I'll even care 5 years from now. :)

I have an ION Tailgater. It is a step up from smaller bluetooth speakers. It has a 1/4" TRS for your mic input and offers an adjustable gain for it.

My DJ setup is a pair of EV ZLX12 speakers. These are a fantastic entry level speaker. They have combo XLR and 1/4" TRS inputs for your mic, and an AUX port for whatever else. Bass is decent as well. Pricey, but you will literally have professional grade sound.

Check out your local Sam's Club or Best Buy and see what other speakers they have similar to the ION Tailgater if you don't want to drop $400 on a professional level speaker that weighs 40lbs.

Regarding your record player setup, you may not have a proper mic connection on there. Mic signals are weak and require boosting. Audio that comes out of your phone's headphone jack are called "line level" as they have enough signal power to play without additional amplification. You can't just plug a handheld mic into any input and expect it to work. Since phono signals are weak and require boosting as well your receiver may be able to handle it. Best to get a speaker that has a dedicated mic input with a gain boost for the best results.

I made a 3 tiered cake for my parent's 25th wedding anniversary about 5-10 years ago. To be honest, the actual baking is quite easy, especially if you have experience baking cookies during the holidays. What I personally struggled with was the assembly, which I highly recommend you get someone to help you with because it definitely helps to have an extra set of hands for that part, and icing, but this is something you could practice before hand! I would definitely recommend making the cake at least once but preferably twice before your wedding to get a feel for it.

I used a recipe from the Gourmet Magazine cookbook. I'm pretty sure this is the recipe, but I don't have the book any more to confirm. The cookbook had TONS of picture illustrations to help. Many cakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days with no effect on texture, but I would definitely recommend holding off on the actual icing until the day of or at earliest the night before.

My sister is vegan, and we've made lots of great things from a book called "Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking." I've linked to Amazon but check your local library first - or maybe one of your vegan relatives already owns it so you can borrow it =) We've made the Tuesday Night Dinner, multiple lasagnas, and stuffed shells from here to take to family gatherings so my sister can eat. What we usually do is assemble beforehand, bake it halfway, fridge it if needed, then finish baking at our destination. If this isn't possible for you, baking all the way and then reheating is no issue.

No one in our family needs to be gluten free, so I'm unsure how good anything in here would be for a gluten free diet. But we all love a lot of recipes in here, and not just the main courses either. The binding of our copy broke completely after only a few months of it being gifted to my sister XD

Hope that helps!

If you're still looking:

I spent almost a month searching everywhere for bridesmaids dresses under 75$, just out of courtesy for my girls. Asos, Lulus, and Charlotte Russe had some cute ones but not in the colors I was looking for. So try there first.

But honestly, I found exactly what I wanted on Amazon for 20-30$. There's a certain amount of risk when ordering off Amazon but one bridesmaid agreed to be the Guinea pig and it's actually great quality especially for the price. Just check the reviews. Here's a link to a similar dress:

Ever Pretty Womens Double V Neck Sleeveless Chiffon Bridesmaids Dress 6 US Pink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JIJLCLA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_al4YxbG4QB5EE

REPHYLLIS Women Sexy Vintage Party Wedding Bridesmaid Formal Cocktail Dress(M,Burgundy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019RQUTG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Xl4YxbSNG8T18

Our rehearsal dinner is a casual bbq, and we are doing biodegradable/compostable/recycled disposables. I actually found a lot of reasonably priced ones on Amazon.

We're just using post-consumer recycled paper plates, which definitely look casual. For a more elegant event, I'd go with wooden or palm leaf plates like this. There are wooden utensils to match, but you might want to go with prettier metallic plastic utensils or cornstarch-based "plastic" ones. I work in events, and I've seen some pretty upscale dinners use plates like those.

They also make paper "linen feel" napkins, which are heavier duty and would stand up well to being placed on laps, etc. If you hunt around, you can even find PLA "plastic" cups that have nice designs or are clear, rather than heavily branded.

If you rent table cloths, the company you rent them from handles washing, etc. If you buy table cloths, you'll have to launder them yourself... and then own 10+ table cloths. It can be cheaper to buy, but keep in mind that afterward you have to figure out what to do with them.